Coolant leak?

[Jesse]

So I work at a Jiffy Lube, we do basic maintenance stuff, oil changes, fluid changes coolant flushes etc etc. Well yesterday we did a coolant flush on a 2000 wrangler and it was pretty badly rusted, but the customer wanted it anyways. Well he came back today because his Jeep was overheated and I noticed whenever they added coolant, it came pouring out between the engine and transmission. Horrible picture but you kind of get the idea.I'm just curious, what would cause this? What do you do to fix it?

 

[56cj5]

There are freeze plugs on the back of the block... That would be my best guess but there would have been signs of oxiadating in the coolant ... Was it rusty in color??

 

[Jesse]

Yeah, very rusty in color.

 

[56cj5]

Yeah. My guess is rusted out freeze plugs
And they all should be changed at once!! Be sure to check all areas that coolant is could be exposed to air..... The problem only gets progresively worse as time goes on.. Inculding gaskets , heater core , and hoses. It's a big problem!!

 

[JPNinPA]

Had that happen to my car in college. The previous owner ran water without coolant. Overheated and when flushed mud like rusty water came out. It took a better part of 2 hours filling running and exchanging fluid to get the water to run clean. After all that the freeze plugs started leaking. Had to replace the block after that.

2X a partially filled systsm, never changing fluid or topping off with a leak and using water only will enhance rusting out.

 

[yo momma yj]

yeah...that sounds like straight hard water was run in there.
anti-freeze has additives for inhibiting rust & lubing the water pump seal and such.

that engine may be flushable with new freeze plugs and go a while yet. overheat warps aluminum. this wasn't your service company's fault. take that machine off him as a penalty.

I'll bet the clutch bundle is all rusty now.

 

[Jesse]

It's going to be looked as if it is our fault. Thank you all for your responses.

 

[lambo]

All water jackets in the block will form rust antifreeze or not. Therefore when flushing its not unusual to see rust color coming out. I'm surprised that no one here has said cracked block this will put water in a lot of places not only transmission. But I think its a freeze plug also. Did you flush it under a lot of pressure? Because this will cause rust around seals to loosen and then leek. Years ago we never change oil in the older cars for fear of blowing a seal.

 

[Jesse]

Yeah the machine they use uses pressure to pull the old coolant out then to put the new coolant in.

 

[lambo]

That happens a lot. The pressure dislodges rust, sludge and other such build up that forms a seal covering up leaks, I had a trany flush once and the seals went rite after that so its sometimes inevitable.

 

[Jesse]

I had a car that did that after an oil change. He hadn't driven it in a long time, then he came and got the oil change then it start squirting oil everywhere.